


Deployment

by hinekik



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-08-08 15:40:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7763536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hinekik/pseuds/hinekik
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being married to a Starfleet officer isn't always easy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Deployment

**Author's Note:**

> With thanks to my betas, Kei and El.

Shore leave. Are there two words that go better together? Ben might have once thought nothing could beat "lunar flower" but that was before he married a Starfleet officer. There is no bloom, no array of petals, more beautiful than spending time with Hikaru and Demora.

Hikaru would laugh himself out of the room if Ben ever said that outloud, but "the galaxy's sappiest husband, oh my God, Ben" is safe in his own mind. He grins to himself at the memory as he points out the next little creature on Demora's game screen, urging her to hurry and catch it. They're waiting for Hikaru to finish getting dressed after his shower so they can head out to the Yorktown amusement park; it's all Demora's been talking about for _days_. Ben had thought he'd heard Hikaru's communicator whistle a few minutes ago from the other room, but he doesn't think much of it now. Hikaru had mentioned the Enterprise was undergoing some routine maintenance. Maybe they needed the pilot to tell them how to remove the parking brake.

"Papa, do you see a Kry... a Kryonian tiger?"

"Hmmm...." Ben leans in to squint at the screen over Demora's shoulder. "They like to hide in the tall grass, don't they? Maybe we should check away from the forest area."

Demora nods seriously, readjusting her screen. The door to their bedroom swishes open and Ben watches Demora look up, face lighting up in anticipation and excitement--before it falls suddenly, her features twisting in a way that means a tantrum is incoming. Ben looks up, and his stomach drops as he realizes why.

Hikaru is wearing his gold uniform.

_"NO!"_

"Sweetheart, I'm _sorry_ ," Hikaru says, catching Ben's eye on the last word before he hurries over to them. He reaches out to pet Demora's hair as Ben's arms tighten around her, both of them trying to soothe the tears rapidly gathering in her eyes.

"It's not _fair!_ "

"I know, I know," Hikaru agrees, "It's an emergency. Someone's in trouble."

"What happened?" Ben asks softly as Demora sniffles, though she's no longer looking like she's about to throw herself to the ground screaming. She's mostly grown out of those kind of rows, but if anything deserves a shrieking tantrum, it's this. Ben's half tempted to try it himself, to see if Hikaru might stay.

"A ship was attacked on the other side of the nebula. One of the crew got away, and she's come to us for help."

"Can't someone else help her?" Demora asks a bit sullenly.

"Only the Enterprise can get through the nebula safely. I told you I'm the pilot on the best ship in the fleet, remember?" Hikaru prompts gently with a smile. She's not quite ready to return it, but Ben can see her face softening already. Their little girl really is growing up.

"How long are you gonna be gone?"

"I don't know," Hikaru replies honestly, giving her small hands a squeeze. "Probably not more than one or two days. But it's going to depend on how long it takes us to find them all, okay? We don't want to leave anyone behind."

Demora nods slowly, acceptance settling in. "Okay."

"We'll go to the park once I get back, promise." Hikaru leans in to kiss her cheek and she finally smiles. Ben does too, though he can't help the fear gnawing at his heart. Whatever attacked that first ship is still out there, on the other side of that nebula. Waiting for Hikaru. He doesn't say a word about it, not in front of Demora, but some of his worry must show as Hikaru gives him a thin smile and squeezes his knee, before he leans in for a quick kiss over Demora's shoulder. "I love you. Both of you. And I'll be back soon."

"I love you too, daddy," Demora says, reaching out for a hug from Hikaru. He gives her one and Ben wraps his arms around them both, squeezes his eyes shut, and wishes the scariest thing about today was a roller coaster.

Ben gets a message from Hikaru before the Enterprise goes through the nebula and he shares it with Demora, letting her read it aloud. "Heading in! Love you both. Cya soon."

Days later, after the chaos of the attack on Yorktown, after Ben had swept Demora up off her feet from where she was playing jump rope with an Andorian girl and just _ran_ , blindly following the evacuation instructions shouted by Starfleet officers, he finally lays eyes on Hikaru again. Demora gets to him first, breaking away in a sprint to throw her arms around him and Hikaru sweeps her up for a tight hug. A second later and she squirms in his hold, shrieking with laughter.

"Daddy, you _smell!_ "

Hikaru is a little ripe, but he's alive and he's beautiful and Ben's grinning from ear to ear as they embrace. He's not quite sure what happened to Hikaru out there and Hikaru doesn't give much by the way of details yet, not as Demora clutches onto their hands as they head back to temporary quarters. There was an attack, but the bad guys are all gone now _promise_ , and yes, he's okay, so is Uncle Jim and Aunt Nyota, and hey, good news, they're going to stay at the Yorktown for even longer! Demora's all smiles at the last bit of news and when Ben suggests she she go play in her room for a bit, she takes off at warp two.

Her door slides shut and Hikaru's arms wrap around Ben tightly, burying his face into the crook of his neck. "Holy shit," Hikaru breathes, a fine tremor working its way down his back. _"Holy shit."_

It's after the shared shower, after the slow kisses and soapy hands remapping every bit of skin, that Hikaru finally, quietly tells Ben what happened. How the ship broke apart around them. How close he came to death. How close _they_ came to it too.

Ben goes to check in on Demora after, finds her curled up asleep on top of her bed, clutching her favorite stuffed cat. Hikaru peeks in past him, smiles and says "Looks like a good idea" and they settle in carefully on either side of her. Ben clutches his husband's hand and thinks about everything Hikaru told him, digesting the idea that they're all still alive thanks to his husband and his shipmates.

"Remind me to get your Captain something amazing one of these days, in thanks." He hasn't forgotten the story Hikaru told him about his free fall on Vulcan either. "For his birthday or any holidays he celebrates."

"Funny you should mention that," Hikaru says, lifting his head, "I should ask Doctor McCoy if the party's still on."

The party's still on. They get Captain Kirk a bottle of scotch, which isn't nearly enough but Kirk loves it anyways, and make plans for a double-date with Uhura and Spock at the arboretum. He meets Jaylah, who also gets a lion's share of credit for saving all of their lives according to Hikaru, and promptly goes from "Ben Sulu" to "Just Ben".

"I told you," Hikaru laughs at him, arm wrapped around his waist, "Why did you try to correct her?"

"It seemed awkward," Ben groans and Hikaru laughs again.

"Yeah, because 'Just Ben' isn't."

Two days later, Demora finally gets her visit to the amusement park. She pulls them along by the hands through the crowds, excitedly encouraging them to hurry up as they bounce from ride to ride. When they finally take a break for lunch, Ben nearly collapses in his chair, Hikaru beside him as they wait for their food to arrive. Demora's a few feet away, beside another little girl, watching a display of holographic butterflies flutter around a fountain. Everything feels right in the universe again, right up until Hikaru's communicator beeps. He sees the way Hikaru tenses up, mirroring his own muscles as his breathing catches.

_No no no._

He watches as his husband checks the text message, relief going through him when he looks up at Ben and grins. "Pavel wants some love advice. Again."

"Are you really the guy to give it?" Ben teases. "Don't think I've forgotten how we first met."

Hikaru actually flushes faintly, though he tries to bluster through it. "Hey, hey. I was _very_ smooth."

"Slippery smooth, even."

"Yeah, well," Hikaru laughs, looking from Demora to Ben with a smile. "I think I've done very well for myself."

Ben agrees, lacing their fingers together under the table and soaking up a day where the scariest thing really is a roller coaster.


End file.
